# Slain from the Foundation - REVELATION 13:8 - 2024-09-12 "The foundation of God stands sure, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity." (2 Timothy 2:19) Recall the declaration that Christ was slain from the very foundation of the world. The death of Christ entered into human experience around 30 AD, and up to that time many prophesied it was coming. We need to remember that God is outside of time and space, and so anything spiritual is really only entering human experience at a particular point in time. Caiaphas's statement here is labeled as a prophecy by St. John because in the writing of this Gospel it was clear to John that this statement was prophetic in nature. *At that time, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council, and said, "What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on thus, every one will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our place and our nation." But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all; you do not understand that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation should not perish." He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they took counsel how to put him to death. Jesus therefore no longer went about openly among the Jews, but went from there to the country near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim; and there he stayed with the disciples. - John 11:47-54* Jesus was slain for our sins even before time began. Caiaphas simply spoke that which would be true before it happened. This is a good reminder for us also that the Gospels are written by someone, and that we can see the nature of their writing in the way that they add these little statements about the reality of the moment. The Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. That's not just a nice phrase; it's a theological truth. Christ's sacrifice is eternal, outside of time. It was effective for all who would ever believe, throughout history. When we read the Old Testament, we see theophanies, types, shadows, and promises pointing forward to the cross. That's because the cross was the eternal plan of God. Everything points to it. So as we go through our daily lives, remember: we are living in the light of a sacrifice that was ordained before creation. That gives our lives meaning and hope.